Apparatus for the manufacture of artificial materials



May 26, 1942. A. LELY ETAL 2,284,399

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Filed March 7, 1939 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 awe/M M02101 w erjardwlimzmlel May 26, 1942. v A. LELY EI'AL 2,284,399

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Filed March '7, 1939 3 Sheets-Shget 2 May 26, 1942. A. LELY ET AL 2,284,399

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Filed March '7, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 26, 1942 APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Anton Lely, Velp (Gld) and Gerhardus Eeninkwinkel, Arnhem, Netherlands, asslgnors to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N. 0., a

corporation of Delaware Application March 7, 1939, Serial No. 260,456

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for use in the manufacture of casein wool, rayon and other artificial filaments or threads. ticularly the invention is directed to an apparatus in which the yarns or threads being produced are subjected to a fluid treatment and are stretched substantially simultaneously therewith.

In the manufacture of rayon the plastic filaments or yarns are treated and stretched in various ways for the purpose of improving the physical characteristics of the final product and appropriate apparatus have been devised for treating and stretching the yarn in the desired manner. Likewise in the manufacture of threads from casein which is known as casein wool it has been found that the stretching of the vfilaments or cables thereof produces a desirable result when the stretching action is conducted in a definite sequence and relation to the other steps involved in the process of manufacture. One process of manufacturing casein wool wherein the apparatus of the present invention may be efficiently utilized by appropriately adjusting the relative peripheral speeds of the respective sets of rollers, is set forth in an application for Letters Patent of the United States,

Serial Number 260,454 filed on behalf of Koch,

et a1.

While the apparatus heretofore known have proven quite satisfactory for use in treating and stretching textile materials in general, such apparatus have not been entirely satisfactory particularly in operations of a continuous nature,

wherein the filaments are passed through hardening baths, stretched and at least partially after treated before they are wound into bob- Germany March 16,

More parprovided for propelling and directing a bundle of for the treatment of freshly spun artificial thread, and the substantial simultaneous stretching thereof, the apparatus being provided with a .series of pairs of superimposed rollers each succeeding pair of which is positively driven at an increased speed with respect to the preceding pair and having the pairs of rollers mounted so as to alternately converge toward and away'from their respective free ends at the service side of the apparatus.

It is another object of this invention to construct an apparatus in the form'specified above which has a trough for a treating liquid, or troughs for several different treating liquids, into which the lower roller of each pair of rollers conducts the thread being propelled thereover, whereupon the thread may be periodically subjected to the same treating liquid before it is passed on to another pair of rollers. The thread may be tensioned in the desired manner and to the desired degree as it is conducted between adjacent pairs of rollers.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view partially in section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view partially in section taken along the line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an end view partially in section illustrating a modified form of the invention in which the lower roller of each unit is freely rotatable.

In referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral l0 designates a tank for a coagulating or other treating solution H. Arranged adjacent tank I0 is a closed partition I2 constituting a support for bearing and transmission means. A plurality of bearings l3 are secured in support I! in spaced relation al6ng the entire length thereof and the axes of these bearings are alternately set at obtuse and acute angles with respect to the vertical plane of said support. Shafts M are mounted for rotation in bearings l3 and they each have keyed thereto a roller l5 extending over the tank It] at a predetermined position controlled by the angle of its respective bearing [3.

Within the side wall It of tank N! there are mounted a plurality of journals I1 corresponding in number to bearings l3 and lying in the same vertical plane. These journals are adapted threaded at 22 to cooperate with turnbuckles 23 which also cooperate with the threaded portion of rods 24 so that the cumulative length of i rods 2| and 24 may be adjusted by rotation of the turnbuckles 23, which receive therein the threaded portions of the two rods. At the upper end of each rod 24 there isa bearing 25 similar in function and operation to bearings 20. These bearings receive the shafts l4 on which the upper rollers I are mounted.

Mounted on the support I2 there is a driven shaft 26 actuated from a source not shown. This shaft is suitably supported along its length by brackets 21 and it has keyed thereto pulleys 28. These pulleys are connected by belts 29 to pulleys 30 keyed to shafts l4. Thus it is that the rotary v motion of shaft 26 will be imparted to shafts l4.

In driving the lower rollers IS in some instances it may be desirable to provide a pulley 3| on shaft l4 and a pulley 32 on shaft I8 connected by a belt 33. However, this is not always necessary since the threads themselves may be strong enough to impart sufiicient motion to the lower roller l6. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 4 which in all respects corresponds to Figure 3 except that pulleys 3| and 32 on shafts i4 and I8, respectively, are eliminated as well as their connecting belt 33.

It is to be noted that the pulleys 30 are each respectively of lesser diameter beginning at the first roller engaged by the threads 34. Consequently, the respective rollers 15, driven by Pulleys 30, each will rotate at an increased peripheral speed. Altematively, if desired, the size of the rollers l5 may be increased to effect the same result.

In the operation of the present invention employing the apparatus disclosed, a thread of artificial character designated by the numeral 34, is extruded through a spinneret and it is led across and wound around the first set of rollers and l9, from which it is similarly led around respective sets of rollers throughout the entire length of the apparatus.

The thread travels upon respective rollers l5 and I9 from the front or service side of the apparatus rearwardly and forms spaced coils due to the angular position of the rollers, and this direction of lateral travel is reversed at each succeeding set of rollers. This is made possible by causing the axes of rollers l5 and I9 to converge slightly toward the rear or front of the machine as the case may be, the rotation of the rollers causing the thread to advance downwardly along the rollers toward the less widely separated ends thereof, the movement of coils encircling a pair of rollers I5I9 depending upon the number of times the coil is inserted in the bath may thus be controlled.

It will be seen that thread treated on apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention will be subjected to continuous stretching. This stretching is effected gradually during the period that the thread extends between successive sets of rollers since these successive sets are driven at progressively increased peripheral speeds resulting from the reduction in diameter of the pulleys 30, or the same results may be attained by increasing the diameter of the respective rollers.

In the event it is desired to produce an alternate stretching and release of the coils being carried through the apparatus, the diameter of the members 39 may be so controlled that some of the rollers will operate at a lower peripheral speed than its preceding roller. Thus, if alternate pulleys were of a diameter greater than a constant diameter of the other rollers, the

' thread would be slackened intermediate the roller of fast peripheral speed and that of slow peripheral speed. This modification is particularly important in casein wool" manufacture, wherein the alternate tensioning and release of tension has resulted in the production of superior curling characteristics.

It will be apparent from the above that the apparatus constituting the present invention is advantageous in that the supporting standard for the treating rollers is opposite the service side of the machine. In view of this fact, all parts of the treating apparatus are made easily accessible at all times and the entire treatment is visible to the operator. Minor repairs and adjustments may be made without interrupting the, continuous operation of the machine.

The present invention is also advantageous in that the driving parts thereof are located away from the treating solutions to which the coils of thread are subjected. The importance of this the comprising a roller inclined with respect to the relative angular angular position of the upper and horizontal, a substantially horizontally disposed second roller spaced therebelow in the same vertical plane and lying wholly within the confines of said container, means for supporting the upper roller at an angle to the horizontal, 'means on an interior wall of said container for supporting the lower roller for pivotal movement thereabout in a vertical plane, means including an adjusting part for pivoting said lower rollerto vary the inclination thereof with respect to said upper roller, said adjusting part being disposed above the edge of said container, separate means for driving the upper rollers of adjacent units at difierent speeds, and means for driving th lower roller of each unit from its upper roller, all of the roller supporting means as well as the driving means being disposed 'at a common end of the rollers while said means including the adjusting part are located at the other end of the units.

2. Apparatus for use in the treatment of freshly formed synthetic. filaments comprising, a plurality of cantilever thread-storage, threadtrolled. The advantage in this being that the 7s advancing units, to each of which threa is cessively passed, each unit comprising a pair of vertically spaced rollers the upper or which is mounted in fixed position while the other is adjustable with respect to the horizontal, both of the rollers of each unit being disposed in the same vertical plane, a container for treating liquids extending below each of said units, the upper edge or" said container lying in a plane above the lower surface of the lower roller but below the upper roller of each unit, pivotal means supporting the lower roller of each unit for movement in a vertical plane about an axis adjacent one end only thereof, means .outside the container acting on the pivotal means to move the respective roller to vary the angle of convergence of the upper and lower rollers of the unit, and means for driving the upper rollers of adjacent units at diiferc 1t speeds, the lower rollers of each unit being freely rotatable.

3. Apparatus for use in the treatment of freshly formed synthetic filaments comprising, a plurality of cantilever thread-storage, threadadvancing units, to each of which thread is successively passed, each unit comprising a pair of vertically spaced rollers the upper of which is mounted in fixed position while the other is adjustable with respect to the horizontal, both of the rollers of each unit being disposed in the same vertical plane, a container for treating liquids extending below each of said units, the upper edge of said container lying in a plane m above the lowersurface of the lower roller but ANTON LELY. GERHARDUS EENINKWINKEL. 

